Disney Holidays At The Disneyland Resort

Boy, do we have a treat for you today! I recently attended a holiday event at Disneyland and am so excited to share the whole inside scoop with you! Disneyland is amazing all year round, but it somehow steps it even even further during the holidays. There are so many extra fun and festive things in store for guests when they visit during this time of year! Today I want to share it all with you so you know exactly what treats you’re in for when you visit during the Christmas season!

The Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle got a Holiday makeover and is so gorgeous and festive! Thanks to Holiday pixie dust, it’s snowing at Disneyland during the “Believe… In Holiday Magic” fireworks show and you can get the best view right in front of the castle.

It’s A Small World is completely decked out for the holidays. Did you know there are 300,000 plus lights on the façade alone?!

The outside of It’s A Small World isn’t the only part that got a Christmas makeover, the inside is just as festive! On your fun voyage you’ll see Santa Claus making his nice list, Christmas trees fully decked out, candy canes, lights, the Holiday works. Your little ones will absolutely love this fun and friendly ride! You can even sing along to some of your favorite holiday tunes inside!

Another ride inside Disneyland that got a holiday makeover is Jungle Cruise. It has festively been renamed “Jingle Cruise” for the season and boy is it awesome! The animals inside are busy celebrating Christmas,getting into some red and green mischief too! Skippers have decked the docks this year, so make sure to put this on your must see list!

“A Christmas Fantasy Parade” is a huge highlight of the Holiday magic at Disneyland. This year Frozen fans can catch Anna, Elsa, and Olaf in the Parade! You’ll also see adorable reindeer, gingerbread men, and of course, the big jolly guy riding high in his sleigh! You’ll also see beloved classic Disney characters.

Even the Disney characters are suited up for Christmas! Be sure to see some of your favorite characters dressed in their holiday finest on Main Street in Disneyland Park. Bring your camera and autograph books!

You didn’t think I forgot about the treats did you?! Disneyland didn’t leave ANYTHING out, sweets included: Christmas caramel apples, Christmas tree pretzels, and Santa hat rice krispie treats, are just a few of the many scrumptious desserts you can find at Disneyland this holiday season! These treats can all be found in the Main Street Bakery.

The 60 foot tall Disneyland Christmas Tree in Town Square is not only gorgeous, it’s truly ideal for a family photo. Ask a Disney photographer to snap your family photo in front of the tree and be sure to get a Photo Pass that will allow you to view, download, and order all your favorite prints from the day!

Don’t forget to shop for souvenirs while here! Main Street is decorated beautifully this season and inside shops like Main Street’s Emporium, you’ll find lots of holiday gifts ideas, ornaments, and these cute light bulb necklaces that are perfect for wearing at night while watching the fireworks!

California Adventure has its own set of Christmas magic going on right now! The Santa Claus meet and greet inside Elias and Co is definitely one of them. Your kids won’t want to miss telling Santa what they want this year, plus you’ll get great photos here and your kids will walk out with candy canes given to them by none other than Santa’s official Elves!

Cars Land inside California Adventure will be a huge hit with you and the kids! Inside you’ll see that Lightning McQueen and his friends have been very busy decorating for the holidays and they’ve pulled out all the stops. Be sure to snap a photo with the whimsical Snowcar at the entrance of Cars Land!

Near the front entrance of California Adventure, in front of the shops, you should be able to spot these amazing Christmas carolers singing holiday favorites oh-so-beautifully! Stop and listen for a while and sing along to all the songs you know. These guys and girls are so talented and dressed in the cutest outfits ever.

If you’re still looking for presents and souvenirs for yourself, check out all the shops inside California Adventure. They are decorated with the cutest window displays and lots of Christmas trees, too!

The “Disney Viva Navidad! Street Party” was the highlight of our time here. For some reason it seems like not a lot of people know about this magical event but I’m here to tell you all about it because you do NOT want to miss this! There’s festive music, dancing, and the Three Caballeros! It takes place several times throughout the day inside California Adventure across from the Silly Symphony Swings. I would highly recommend partaking in the last street party of the day, at night time, when it’s dark outside! It was just plain magical. Mickey and Minnie also made an appearance, there was music, dancing, and tons of kid friendly partying. My three year old was beside himself with joy the entire time.

Take a spin inside the Grand California Hotel while you’re here to check out this gingerbread house: over 500 pounds of gingerbread and 60 gallons of frosting! Now that’s my kind of gingerbread house! Your store bought gingerbread kits will never measure up to this piece of art!

I couldn’t say enough good things about World Of Color inside California Adventure even if I spent the next year trying. Yes, you and your kids might be really exhausted at this point after the most magical day of your life, but do not call it quits before seeing this show! Listen for some favorite “Frozen” songs during “World of Color Winter Dreams” and many of appearances from everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf.

My son can’t stop talking about it and neither can I. This show is amazing, breathtaking, and truly a magical masterpiece. Favorite Christmas tunes, Disney characters, and Frozen elements are just a few of the things you’ll experience during this phenomenon. Okay, call me sappy but I seriously was teary during parts of it. Holding my three year old, watching his face light up and squealing with delight during this show, where else can you experience something so special like that except at Disneyland?

I could go on and on and on about how magical Disneyland is but there are a few other things I want to make sure to leave you with because these things really stood out to us as being BEYOND.

1). The Food. I’m not talking just the food, I’m talking the great detail Disney goes to ensure that every guest is able to eat something. I’m a vegan with gluten allergies and I really can’t ever eat out because there’s just not a lot of places that can accommodate me. We dined at three different places while at Disney and every single one of them had their chef come out and personally speak to me, take down my allergies and requests, and make me something that I could eat AND that tasted of five-star quality. I was absolutely blown away by this.

2) Take It All In. When you come to Disneyland for the holidays, make sure to see all the sights! Grab a map at the entrance of both parks, and make sure to see the rides that have Christmas makeovers like “It’s A Small World”, “Jungle Cruise” and “Haunted Mansion”. Check for “A Christmas Fantasy Parade” times, and do not miss World Of Color. You can see Santa Claus in Elias and Co inside California Adventure and you can also tell Santa and Mrs. Claus if you’ve been naughty or nice at Jingle Jangle Jamboree inside Disneyland.

3) Frozen Fans. If you’ve got Frozen fans with you, there’s three great spots to see Frozen characters. The Fantasy Christmas Parade inside Disneyland, in World Of Color in California Adventure, and at the Frozen meet and greet in Fantasyland.

Don’t forget to see the fireworks, watch it snow on Main Street, take tons of pictures, and be ready to make some of the best, most magical memories of your life with those you love most. Courtesy of the magic makers themselves, my heroes, Disney!